Joint forming apparatus



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Z mf 5MM United States Patent O 3,259,032 JOINT FORMING APPARATUS Gunther Suhr, Hameln (Weser), and Karl-Heinz Ringe, Kuchohsen, near Hameln, Germany, assignors to Firma ABG-Werke Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Hameln CW eser), Germany Filed Mar. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 268,317 4 Claims. (Cl. 94-39) This invention relates to apparatus for introducing joint boards into concrete road surfaces by vibration.

As is known, it is customary to arrange joint boards at certain intervals in concrete road surfaces, for example the surfaces of motorways, in order to take up expansion tresses and so to avoid cracks forming in the road surace.

In the past the usual practice has been followed of manual installation of joint boards before the concrete is introduced, the fact that the vibrating beam used for compacting the concrete has to be lifted away over the joint boards every time they are reached by the beam during the compacting of the sub-concrete by the finishing machine, has proved to be a particular drawback. Moreover, because the vibrating beam is inclined, the concrete in front of the joint boards is not directly affected by the beam and in consequence is inadequately compacted.

If the joint boards are not adequately anchored they tend to assume inclined positions, especially when concrete distributors are used, and this again has a detrimental effect on the function of the boards as elements for taking up expansion. It has already been proposed to produce grooves in freshly compacted concrete at the relevant points of division by vibration by means of a so-called groove blade and then to insert the joint boards subsequently by hand into these grooves. When this is done, however, experience has shown that difficulties arise in that the grooves produced by such vibration contract to a greater or lesser extent according to the composition of the concrete and this renders necessary a timeconsuming driving in of the joint boards. This driving in by force frequently results in damage to the boards and, moreover, the accuracy with which the boards are installed is thereby impaired.

The problem that the invention sets out to solve is to remove the above mentioned drawbacks and the invention consists in that a pocket lfor receiving a joint board and consisting of -two side plates is mounted on a vibrating beam and the pocket is introduced into the compacted concrete surface together with the joint board by vibration, after which the pocket is drawn away upwardly, preferably under vibration. In this way, the result is achieved that iirst the board reaches its position undamaged in any way and, in addition, there is the assur-ance of the highest, true-to-measure accuracy of installation. The additional vibration during the drawing away of the pocket ensures satisfactory compacting of the concrete right up to the joint board.

In order to facilitate the vibrating-in operation the receiving pocket is preferably formed with a slightly tapering cross-section so that it acts at the same time as a clamping pocket for the joint board, which is pushed in laterally. The provision of special holding means for the joint board pushed into the receiving pocket is thereby rendered unnecessary.

In order to prevent the joint board vibrated in position from being carried along or lifted again when the receiving pocket is drawn away, displaceable stops are provided in the apparatus which retain the vibrated-in board in the position into which it has been vibrated when the receiving pocket is drawn away. The stops ice may be disengaged and put into operation, by means of, for example, a foot pedal.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the vibrating beam carries an oscillation generator on top and this, in turn, is driven by means of a V-belt drive from a nearby motor. The tension of the V-belt during the stroke movements of the vibrating beam is preferably maintained by means of a tensioning rocker pivotally mounted about the axis of the driving motor and forming a carrier for a double V-belt pulley, to which the belt drives of the driving motor and the out of balance weight of the vibrating beam lead. An eccentrically disposed tension spring is anchored to a fixed point on the motor block or traversing gear, on the one hand, and the rocker on the other hand and serves to keep the V-belt drives under constant tension. The tension spring may be formed, for example, by rubber cords.

One form of apparatus embodying the invention is Villustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is an end view, looking in the direction of the arrow A in FIGURE l;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line B-B'of FIGURE 2 in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional View taken on the line Cf-C of FIGURE 1 in the direction of the arrows.

The apparatus consists in its main components of a traversing gear frame 1, a motor block assembly 2 and supporting struts 3 for a supporting frame 4. Spindles 7 equipped with travelling nuts 6 are mounted on the Asupporting vstrusts 3 on both sides and are driven by chain or sprocket wheels 8 and a chain 9. To the travelling nuts 6 there are secured supporting side projecting members 11 to which a vibrating beam 13 with an oscillation generator 14, is secured in turn by way of rubber buffers 12. Side plates 17 forming a pocket for receiving a laterally insertable joint board 16 are fixed to the vibrating beam 13. The tapering section of the receiving pocket is produced by inclining one or both of the side plates 17.

The stroke movement of the vibrating beam 13 and of the receiving pocket 17 secured thereto is effected by operating a hand wheel 10, by way of a chain or sprocket wheel 19, the chain wheels 8, the travelling nuts 6 and the supporting members 11. The oscillation generator 14 is driven by means of a belt pulley 21, a V-belt drive 21', a double V-belt pulley 22 and a V-belt drive 24, which leads to a V-belt pulley 25 on the driving shaft of the motor 2. The double V-belt pulley 22 is mounted on a tensioning rocker 26 pivotally mounted about the axis of rotation of the motor and an eccentrically disposed tension spring in the form'of one or more rubber cords 27 holds the V-belt drive under constant tension during the stroke movements of the vibrating beam 13. Transmission of the oscillations of the vibrating beam to the traversing lgear and the rest of the frame structure is prevented by the rubber buffers 12.

When the pocket 17 containing the joint board has been lowered, under vibration into the intended lowest position, linger-like stops 31 are pushed forward generally horizontally by means of a foot lever 28 and a toggle 30 pivotable about an axis 29, the stops 31 being applied laterally on the lowered joint board and serving to hold it back when the pocket 17 is withdrawn. Springs 32 provide for automatic retraction of the stops 31 as soon as the foot lever 28 is released by the operator. As has been said, the raising and lowering of the pocket 17 with the joint board pushed into it are effected by actuating the hand wheel 10.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus for introducing joint boards by vibration vertically into concrete road surfaces under construction, comprising a frame, means mounted on the frame forming a pocket member to receive a joint board and having side plates, a pair of spaced side projecting members secured to the frame, a vibratory beam suspended from and mounted on the side projecting members and to which the pocket member is secured to introduce the :pocket member together with a joint board into vthe compacted concrete by vibration and thereafter to withdraw the pocket member upwardly leaving the joint board in the concrete, and stops suspended from the frame adapted to retain the joint board in position when the pocket member is withdrawn, said stops being adapted to advance to the position into which the joint board has been vibrated.

2. Apparatus for introducing joint boards by vibration vertically into concrete road surfaces under construction, comprising a frame, means mounted on the frame forming a pocket member to receive a joint board and having side plates, a pair of spaced side projecting members secured to the frame, a vibratory beam suspended from and mounted on the side projecting members and to which the pocket member is secured to introduce the pocket member together with a joint board into the compacted concrete by vibration and thereafter to withdraw the pocket member upwardly leaving the joint board in the concrete, and stops suspended from the frame adapted to retain the joint board in position when the pocket member is Withdrawn, said stops being adapted to advance to the position into which the joint board has been vibrated, the joint board receiving pocket member being of slightly tapering cross-section to form a clamping means for the joint board, and means operable by -a foot-operated lever to advance the sto-ps.

3. Apparatus for introducing joint boards by vibration vertically into concrete road surfaces under construction, comprising a frame, means forming a pocket member to receive a joint board and having side plates, a pair of spaced side projecting members secured to the frame, a vibratory beam mounted on the side projecting members and to which the pocket member is secured to introduce the Apocket member together with a joint bo-ard into the compacted concrete by vibration and thereafter to withdraw the pocket member upwardly leaving the joint board in the concrete, an oscillation generator mounted on the beam and actuated by a motor driven V-belt, a tensioning rocker member pivotally mounted about the axis of the driving motor and forming a carrier for a V-belt pulley positively mounted on the rocker member and to which a belt drive of the driving motor and a belt drive of the oscillation producer are connected to tension the V-belt during the stroke movements of the vibrating beam, and an eccentrically disposed tension spring secured to a iixed point on the frame `and on the rocker member.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, in which the tension spring is composed of rubber cords.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,267,301 5/1918 Wieberg 94-51 1,950,673 3/1934 HeltZel 94-51 X 1,966,489 7/1934 Edge 94-51 X 1,974,240 9/ 1934 HeltZel 94-39 1,982,387 11/1934 Hel-'Ezel 94-45 1,997,216 4/1935 Heltzel 94-51 X 2,014,894 9/1935 Heltzel 94-51 2,134,641 10/1938 Mundt 94-51 2,276,542 3 /1942 Kovanda 94--51 3,052,945 9/19-62 Cummings 94-51 X JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiner.

N. C. BYERS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING JOINT BOARDS BY VIBRATION VERTICALLY INTO CONCRETE ROAD SURFACES UNDER CONSTRUCTION, COMPRISING A FRAME, MEANS MOUNTED ON THE FRAME FORMING A POCKET MEMBER TO RECEIVE A JOINT BOARD AND HAVING SIDE PLATES, A PAIR OF SPACED SIDE PROJECTING MEMBERS SECURED TO THE FRAME, A VIBRATORY BEAM SUSPENDED FROM AND MOUNTED ON THE SIDE PROJECTING MEMBERS AND TO WHICH THE POCKET MEMBER IS SECURED TO INTRODUCE THE POCKET MEMBER TOGETHER WITH A JOINT BOARD INTO THE COMPACTED CONCRETE BY VIBRATION AND THEREAFTER TO WITHDRAW THE POCKET MEMBER UPWARDLY HAVING THE JOING BOARD IN THE CONCRETE, AND STOPS SUSPENDED FROM THE FRAME ADAPTED TO RETAIN THE JOINT BOARD IN POSITION WHEN THE POCKET MEMBER IS WITHDRAWN, SAID STOPS BEING ADAPTED TO ADVANCE TO THE POSITION INTO WHICH THE JOINT BOARD HAS BEEN VIBRATED. 